Securing New Ground 2025: The Roundtables Edition: Insights and honest conversation

Last week Hilary Pogarch Gallagher and I attended Securing New Ground (SNG) in New York, hosted by the Security Industry Association (SIA). It’s consistently one of the industry’s strongest gatherings, bringing together top executives from major U.S. and global brands.

This year, we were proud to help moderate and activate the lunchtime roundtables, which have become a highlight of the program (in our opinion).

A room full of leaders and energy

During lunch, the ballroom buzzed. We aimed for ten people per table, but the turnout exceeded expectations, and the conversations flowed far beyond the chairs. The energy was real. We found leaders debating openly, sharing insights, and engaging in genuine peer-to-peer discussions instead of just listening. It was exactly what we were hoping for: connection, candor, and ideas in motion.

Roundtable topics and takeaways

Here’s a look at the SNG Roundtable Topics, Hosts, and Table Points of View, along with my reflections from each discussion:

Hans Kahler , Eagle Eye Networks , “Security Data Is the New Gold, But Who Owns the Gold?”

Hans’s view: The end user owns it. Security teams should use data legally and ethically to improve safety, experience, and operations. The question shouldn’t be who owns it but what can we do with it. We’re a data industry applied to security. It is time to move from talk to action.

My take: Data ownership ultimately belongs to the individual. The future requires stronger regulation around ownership, portability, and accountability. We need to pair it with business models that provide transparency, consent, and shared value. As awareness grows, cultural expectations will shift toward greater personal agency over digital footprints.

Albert Lin , VIVOTEK , “How Well Is Video Surveillance Really Making the Transition to Video-as-a-Service?”

Albert’s view: The industry is slowly moving from capex to opex, with AI as the coming accelerator. End users are adopting faster than the channel.

My take: From our community, the consensus is progress, but uneven execution. Members like Brian Karas and Ryan Knoll, PSP note that success depends on expectations: video-as-a-service becomes visual data-as-a-service when enterprises monetize insights such as customer behavior or operational efficiency. Others, like Jacob Hengel and Mark Schweitzer, PMP, RCDD, CISSP, PSP , emphasize reliability, proactive support, and genuine service models. Adoption is growing, but few deliver a true “as a service” experience yet.

Annie L. , Egis Capital Partners , “Where the Smart Money Is Placing Its Bets”

Annie’s view: Both video and access, because video is access and access is video. The future is about lifetime value and shorter lifecycles.

My take: Smart money is flowing into access control and adjacent platforms. Investors are targeting legacy firms evolving into enterprise software companies, deep vertical solutions that dominate niches, and platforms that could become the operating system for the built environment. The opportunity lies in transformation. Turning hardware into recurring revenue and fragmented markets into scalable ecosystems.

Mark Folmer, CPP, PSP, MSyI , RAD Security , “Why AI Is Going to Rewrite the Rules of Traditional Monitoring”

Mark’s view: AI is redefining monitoring. Customers don’t want more guards. Customers want smarter workflows.

My take: AI changes both the economics and the outcomes. It lowers total cost of ownership and shifts monitoring from reactive to proactive. The current tension, between what’s proven and what’s still aspirational, will define how fast AI replaces the traditional model.

Michael Wong , Genea ,“It’s Finally Time for Real Estate to Become Intelligent.”

Michael’s view: It’s not “finally,” it already is. The key is delivering real value. Real estate wants intelligence, and security provides the foundation.

My take: Intelligent real estate has moved from aspiration to necessity. The difference now is that technology and data are mature enough to deliver it at scale. The challenge is speed. Real estate still moves slowly, even as Big Tech circles the opportunity.

Final reflections

The feedback was outstanding. People loved the engagement, the depth of discussion, and the rapid-fire recap on stage afterward.

SNG remains a gem. It is filed with executives, rich in ideas, and invaluable for anyone serious about where the industry is headed. The opportunity is there…you just have to make the most of it.

#sngroundtables